US cabinet ministers to woo India's Modi

The United States said Wednesday that top cabinet members will visit India in coming weeks to break the ice with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was once shunned by Washington. Secretary of State John Kerry will visit on July 31 and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will travel to India in early August, culminating in Modi’s previously announced visit to Washington in September, officials told a Senate committee. “We are confident we can work in a strong and collaborative partnership with the Modi government to grow our economic and strategic relations with India,” said Nisha Biswal, the assistant secretary of state for South Asia. The United States has rushed to make up for lost time since it became clear that Modi would cruise to victory in elections held in April and May. His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept to India’s biggest electoral mandate in three decades.